Movable kneeling pad assembly for an abdominal exercise device

ABSTRACT

A movable kneeling pad assembly for an abdominal exercise device has a main pad and a wheel seat. The main pad has at least one kneeling recess formed in an upper surface of the main pad. The wheel seat is mounted on a lower surface of the main pad and has multiple wheels protruding from the lower surface of the main pad. The kneeling pad assembly provides a comfortable support for a user&#39;s knees. As the kneeling pad assembly is movable by rotation of the wheels, the user has to put forth high abdominal strength in order to simultaneously perform movements of his upper body and his lower body. Therefore, abdominal muscles of the user can be trained effectively and efficiently, and exercise intensity when using the abdominal exercise device is high enough for professional workout exercisers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a movable kneeling pad assembly for anabdominal exercise device, especially to a movable kneeling pad assemblythat is helpful in enhancing abdominal exercise intensity.

2. Description of the Prior Art(s)

An abdominal exercise device is used to train abdominal muscles of auser. A conventional abdominal exercise device comprises a kneeling padand a roller assembly. The kneeling pad is immovably disposed on a planeand has two kneeling recesses separately formed in an upper surface ofthe kneeling pad. The roller assembly has a wheel and a handletransversely mounted through the wheel. The roller assembly is movablerelative to the kneeling pad by rotation of the wheel. In use, the userkneels on the kneeling pad with his knees placed in the kneelingrecesses and his hands holding the handle to repeatedly move the rollerassembly forward and backward, thereby allowing the user to train theabdominal muscles.

However, since the kneeling pad is immovably disposed on the plane, whenthe user repeatedly moves the roller assembly forward and backward, theuser does not have to put forth abdominal strength to sustain his lowerbody. The abdominal strength of the user is only put forth to allow anupper body of the user to perform movement. Hence, the conventionalabdominal exercise device is unable to train the abdominal muscles ofthe user effectively and efficiently. Exercise intensity when using theconventional abdominal exercise device is not enough for professionalworkout exercisers.

To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides a movablekneeling pad assembly for an abdominal exercise device to mitigate orobviate the aforementioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The main objective of the present invention is to provide a movablekneeling pad assembly for an abdominal exercise device. The movablekneeling pad assembly has a main pad and a wheel seat. The main pad hasat least one kneeling recess formed in an upper surface of the main pad.The wheel seat is mounted on a lower surface of the main pad and hasmultiple wheels protruding from the lower surface of the main pad.

The kneeling pad assembly provides a comfortable support for a user'sknees. As the kneeling pad assembly is movable by rotation of thewheels, the user has to put forth high abdominal strength in order tosimultaneously perform movements of his upper body and his lower body.Therefore, abdominal muscles of the user can be trained effectively andefficiently, and exercise intensity when using the abdominal exercisedevice is high enough for professional workout exercisers.

Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention willbecome more apparent from the following detailed description when takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a movable kneelingpad assembly for an abdominal exercise device in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the kneeling pad assembly inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the kneeling pad assembly in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an operational side view of the kneeling pad assembly in FIG.1;

FIG. 5 is another operational side view of the kneeling pad assembly inFIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is another exploded perspective view of the kneeling pad assemblyin FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is another side view of the kneeling pad assembly in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a movablekneeling pad assembly for an abdominal exercise device in accordancewith the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the kneeling pad assembly inFIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to FIG. 1, a first preferred embodiment of a movablekneeling pad assembly for an abdominal exercise device in accordancewith the present invention comprises a main pad 10, a wheel seat 20, andmultiple holders 40.

With further reference to FIG. 2, the main pad 10 is rectangular, may beintegrally formed as a single part, may be made of foam material, andhas an upper surface, a lower surface, two opposite sides, at least onekneeling recess 11, a mounting recess 12, an inner bottom, multipleconnecting protrusions 123, multiple positioning recesses 14, and fourwheel recesses 13.

The at least one kneeling recess 11 is formed in the upper surface ofthe main pad 10 and are ergonomically designed to correspond to contoursof the human knees, thereby providing a comfortable support for a user'sknees. Specifically, the main pad 10 has two kneeling recesses 11 spacedapart.

The mounting recess 12 is formed in the lower surface of the main pad10, is H-shaped, and has a transverse portion 121 and two longitudinalportions 122. The transverse portion 121 is disposed on the lowersurface of the main pad 10 and has two ends respectively extendingtoward the two opposite sides of the main pad 10. The longitudinalportions 122 are respectively disposed adjacent to the two oppositesides of the main pad 10, are parallel to each other, are respectivelyconnected to the ends of the transverse portion 121, and communicatewith the transverse portion 121. Each longitudinal portion 122 has twoends. The inner bottom of the main pad 10 is defined in the mountingrecess 12.

The connecting protrusions 123 are separately formed on and protrudefrom the inner bottom of the main pad 10. In the first preferredembodiment, the main pad 10 has two connecting protrusions 123respectively disposed at the ends of the transverse portion 121 of themounting recess 12.

The positioning recesses 14 are separately formed in the inner bottom ofthe main pad 10. In the first preferred embodiment, the main pad 10 hastwo positioning recesses 14 respectively disposed on the longitudinalportions 122 of the mounting recess 12.

The wheel recesses 13 are formed in the inner bottom of the main pad 10and are respectively disposed at the ends of the longitudinal portions122 of the mounting recess 12. In other words, the wheel recesses 13 arerespectively disposed at four corners of the inner bottom of the mainpad 10.

The wheel seat 20 is mounted on the lower surface of the main pad 10 andhas a bracket 21 and four wheels 22.

The bracket 21 is H-shaped to fit the H-shaped mounting recess 12, isdetachably mounted in the mounting recess 12 of the main pad 10, and hasa first surface, a second surface, a transverse panel 211, twolongitudinal panels 212, multiple connecting holes 213, multiplepositioning holes 215, and four pairs of pivot supports 214. The secondsurface of the bracket 21 is opposite to the first surface of thebracket 21.

The transverse panel 211 is mounted in the transverse portion 121 of themounting recess 12 and has two ends. The longitudinal panels 212 arerespectively connected to the ends of the transverse panel 211, areparallel to each other, and are respectively mounted in the longitudinalportions 122 of the mounting recess 12. Each longitudinal panel 212 hastwo ends.

The connecting holes 213 are separately formed through the bracket 21,and respectively correspond to the connecting protrusions 123 of themain pad 10 for the connecting protrusions 123 to engage the connectingholes 213, such that the wheel seat 20 is detachably mounted on thelower surface of the main pad 10. In the first preferred embodiment, thebracket 21 has two connecting holes 213 respectively disposed at theends of the transverse panel 211 of the bracket 21.

The positioning holes 215 are separately formed through the bracket 21and respectively correspond in position to the positioning recesses 14of the main pad 10. In the first preferred embodiment, the bracket 21has two positioning holes 215 respectively disposed on the longitudinalpanels 212 of the bracket 21.

The pairs of the pivot supports 214 are formed on and protrude from thefirst surface of the bracket 21, are respectively disposed at the endsof the longitudinal panels 212, and are selectively stored respectivelyin the wheel recesses 13 of the main pad 10. In other words, the pairsof the pivot supports 214 are respectively formed on and protrude fromfour corners of the first surface of the bracket 21.

The wheels 22 are pivotally mounted on the first surface of the bracket21, are respectively mounted pivotally on the pairs of the pivotsupports 214 and are selectively stored in the wheel recesses 13 of themain pad 10 along with the pairs of the pivot supports 214. In otherwords, the wheels 22 are respectively mounted pivotally on the fourcorners of the first surface of the bracket 21.

The holders 40 are respectively mounted through the positioning holes215 of the bracket 21 and respectively protrude into the positioningrecesses 14 of the main pad 10. Each holder 40 has a peripheral sidesurface and a flange 41. The flange 41 is formed around the peripheralside surface of the holder 40 and abuts the bracket 21, such that thebracket 21 is held between the main pad 10 and the flanges 41 of theholders 40.

With reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, in a second preferred embodiment of amovable kneeling pad assembly for an abdominal exercise device inaccordance with the present invention, the main pad 10A is formed bycombination of two half-pads 101A. The two half-pads 101A are spacedapart. Each half-pad 101A has an upper surface and a lower surface. Themain pad 10A has two kneeling recesses 11A respectively formed in theupper surfaces of the half-pads 101A. The longitudinal potions 122A ofthe mounting recess 12A of the main pad 10A are respectively formed inthe lower surfaces of the half-pads 101A. The longitudinal panels 212Aof the bracket 21A are respectively mounted in the longitudinal portions122A of the mounting recess 12A of the main pad 10A. The transversepanel 211A of the bracket 21A extends between the two half-pads 101A.

With further reference to FIG. 3, when the wheel seat 20 is mounted inthe mounting recess 12 of the main pad 10 with the second surface of thebracket 21 corresponding to the inner bottom of the main pad 10, thewheels 22 protrude from the lower surface of the main pad 10, such thatthe kneeling pad assembly is movable.

With further reference to FIG. 4, the movable kneeling pad assembly isused in cooperation with a roller assembly 30. The user kneels on themain pad 10 with his knees placed in the kneeling recesses 11 and hishands holding a handle 31 of the roller assembly 30. At first, the userbreathes in, moves the roller assembly 30 backward toward the kneelingpad assembly, hunches his back to an extreme extent, and tenses his hipsto make his thighs perpendicular to the ground. With further referenceto FIG. 5, then the user breathes out, moves the roller assembly 30forward away from the kneeling pad assembly, and stretches his body.Afterwards, the user moves the roller assembly 30 backward toward thekneeling pad assembly and kneels on the kneeling pad assembly again.With repeating movements as described, abdominal muscles of the user canbe trained. Furthermore, as the kneeling pad assembly is movable byrotation of the wheels 22, the user has to put forth high abdominalstrength in order to simultaneously perform movements of his upper bodyand his lower body. Therefore, the abdominal muscles of the user can betrained effectively and efficiently with intensity strong enough forprofessional workout exercisers.

With further reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, when the wheel seat 20 isup-down reversed and is mounted in the mounting recess 12 of the mainpad 10 with the first surface of the bracket 21 corresponding to theinner bottom of the main pad 10, the connecting protrusions 123 of themain pad 10 are respectively mounted through the connecting holes 213 ofthe bracket 21, and the holders 40 are respectively mounted in thepositioning holes 215 of the bracket 21 and the positioning recesses 14of the main pad 10 with the flanges 41 of the holders 40 abutting thebracket 21. Accordingly, the wheels 22 and the pairs of the pivotsupports 214 are respectively stored in the wheel recesses 13 of themain pad 10. As shown in FIG. 7, since the wheels 22 are stored in thewheel recesses 13 of the main pad 10 rather than protrude from the lowersurface of the main pad 10, a volume of the kneeling pad assembly can bereduced for the convenience of packing and storage. Moreover, as thekneeling pad cannot be moved with the rotation of the wheels 22 inup-down reversal, the abdominal exercise device with the immovablekneeling pad is suitable for amateur exercisers with lower workoutintensity.

Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the presentinvention have been set forth in the foregoing description, togetherwith details of the structure and features of the invention, thedisclosure is illustrative only. Changes may be made in the details,especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts withinthe principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by thebroad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims areexpressed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A movable kneeling pad assembly comprising: amain pad having an upper surface; a lower surface; and at least onekneeling recess formed in the upper surface of the main pad; and a wheelseat mounted on the lower surface of the main pad and having multiplewheels protruding from the lower surface of the main pad.
 2. The movablekneeling pad assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main padfurther has a mounting recess formed in the lower surface of the mainpad; the wheel seat further has a bracket detachably mounted in themounting recess of the main pad; and the wheels of the wheel seat arepivotally mounted on a first surface of the bracket.
 3. The movablekneeling pad assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the main pad isintegrally formed as a single part.
 4. The movable kneeling pad assemblyas claimed in claim 2, wherein the main pad is formed by combination oftwo half-pads.
 5. The movable kneeling pad assembly as claimed in claim3, wherein the main pad has two kneeling recesses spaced apart.
 6. Themovable kneeling pad assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein eachhalf-pad has an upper surface; and the main pad has two kneelingrecesses respectively formed in the upper surfaces of the half-pads. 7.The movable kneeling pad assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein themounting recess of the main pad is H-shaped; the bracket of the wheelseat is H-shaped; and the wheels are respectively mounted pivotally onfour corners of the first surface of the bracket.
 8. The movablekneeling pad assembly as claimed in claim 7, wherein the bracket of thewheel seat further has four pairs of pivot supports respectively formedon and protruding from the four corners of the first surface of thebracket; and the wheels are respectively mounted pivotally on the pairsof the pivot supports.
 9. The movable kneeling pad assembly as claimedin claim 7, wherein the main pad further has an inner bottom defined inthe mounting recess of the main pad; and multiple connecting protrusionsseparately formed on and protruding from the inner bottom of the mainpad; and the bracket of the wheel seat further has multiple connectingholes separately formed through the bracket, and respectivelycorresponding to the connecting protrusions of the main pad for theconnecting protrusions to engage the connecting holes.
 10. The movablekneeling pad assembly as claimed in claim 8, wherein the main padfurther has an inner bottom defined in the mounting recess; and multipleconnecting protrusions separately formed on and protruding from theinner bottom of the main pad; and the bracket of the wheel seat furtherhas multiple connecting holes separately formed through the bracket, andrespectively corresponding to the connecting protrusions of the main padfor the connecting protrusions to engage the connecting holes.
 11. Themovable kneeling pad assembly as claimed in claim 8, wherein the mainpad further has an inner bottom defined in the mounting recess of themain pad; and multiple positioning recesses separately formed in theinner bottom of the main pad; the bracket of the wheel seat further hasmultiple positioning holes separately formed through the bracket andrespectively corresponding in position to the positioning recesses ofthe main pad; and the movable kneeling pad assembly further has multipleholders respectively mounted through the positioning holes of thebracket and respectively protruding into the positioning recesses of themain pad, and each holder has a flange formed around a peripheral sidesurface of the holder and abutting the bracket.
 12. The movable kneelingpad assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the main pad further hasmultiple positioning recesses separately formed in the inner bottom ofthe main pad; the bracket of the wheel seat further has multiplepositioning holes separately formed through the bracket and respectivelycorresponding in position to the positioning recesses of the main pad;and the movable kneeling pad assembly further has multiple holdersrespectively mounted through the positioning holes of the bracket andrespectively protruding into the positioning recesses of the main pad,and each holder has a flange formed around a peripheral side surface ofthe holder and abutting the bracket.
 13. The movable kneeling padassembly as claimed in claim 8, wherein the main pad further has aninner bottom defined in the mounting recess of the main pad; and fourwheel recesses formed in the inner bottom of the main pad, respectivelydisposed at four corners of the inner bottom of the main pad forreceiving the wheels and the pairs of the pivot supports.
 14. Themovable kneeling pad assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the mainpad further has four wheel recesses formed in the inner bottom of themain pad, respectively disposed at four corners of the inner bottom ofthe main pad for receiving the wheels and the pairs of the pivotsupports.
 15. The movable kneeling pad assembly as claimed in claim 12,wherein the main pad further has four wheel recesses formed in the innerbottom of the main pad, respectively disposed at four corners of theinner bottom of the main pad for receiving the wheels and the pairs ofthe pivot supports.
 16. The movable kneeling pad assembly as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the main pad is made of a foam material.
 17. Themovable kneeling pad assembly as claimed in claim 8, wherein the mainpad is made of a foam material.
 18. The movable kneeling pad assembly asclaimed in claim 10, wherein the main pad is made of a foam material.19. The movable kneeling pad assembly as claimed in claim 12, whereinthe main pad is made of a foam material.
 20. The movable kneeling padassembly as claimed in claim 15, wherein the main pad is made of a foammaterial.